Embodiments of the subject matter disclosed herein generally relate to a maintenance tool and a maintenance method for a split friction bearing assembly, as well as a rotary machine using the same.
In the field of “Oil & Gas” (i.e. the industrial field comprising industries involved in finding, producing, processing, transporting and distributing oil and natural gas), different kinds of machines, such as reciprocating compressors, are used comprising one or more rotatable shafts that rotate when the machine is operating.
A rotatable shaft is usually supported by at least two bearing assemblies and the bearing assemblies are fixed to the frame of the machine.
There are different kinds of bearings.
Embodiments of the subject matter disclosed herein relate to friction bearings, more specifically to “split friction bearings”, i.e. friction bearings wherein their bushing is split into at least two shells; it is quite common that the shells are only two in order to avoid complications of construction of the bearing.
A split friction bearing is known e.g. from US 2010/0166347 A1.
Due to the operation of the machine, more specifically to the rotation of its shaft, the shells of a split friction bearing are subject to wear and/or fouling.
Therefore, maintenance operations are carried out on the bearing, more specifically on its shells.
From U.S. Pat. No. 6,470,846 B1, there is known a broach tool is for use in repairing a camshaft support bearing for operably supporting a camshaft in an internal combustion engine. The engine includes a cylinder head with bearing support towers that operably support journals on the camshaft at multiple aligned bearing locations. A broaching tool is provided that is adapted to be linearly pulled through the aligned bearing locations to reform the bearing support structures. Methods of repair include enlarging at least one camshaft support bearing to an oversized condition, such as by using the broach, optionally repairing the oversized camshaft support bearing by filling voids and galled areas with a thermal setting polymer, as needed, and optionally positioning a bearing insert on the camshaft, and positioning the camshaft including the bearing insert in the camshaft support bearing with the camshaft being rotatably supported in the bearing insert and the bearing insert being secured to the oversized camshaft support bearing.
Therefore, there is a general need for a solution that permits maintenance of the bushing shells of a split friction bearing without disassembling the machine and/or its components.
More particularly, there is a need for a solution that permits maintenance of the bushing shells of a split friction bearing without translating and/or rotating the shaft of the machine supported by the bearing.